As India prepares to start administering precaution dose of COVID-19 vaccines to everyone above 18 years of age, vaccine makers Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech on Saturday cut prices of their respective vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin -- to Rs 225 per dose for private hospitals.
SII CEO Adar Poonawalla announced the decision to cut the price of Covishield on Twitter. The price of the vaccine has been reduced to Rs 225 per dose for private hospitals from Rs 600 per dose.
"We are pleased to announce that after discussion with the Central Government, SII has decided to revise the price of COVISHIELD vaccine for private hospitals from Rs.600 to Rs 225 per dose," Poonawalla said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, Bharat Biotech co-founder and joint managing director Suchitra Ella also said that in consultation with the central government, the vaccine maker has decided to cut the price of Covaxin to Rs 225 per dose.
Covishield and Covaxin were amongst the first two vaccines to get approval in India. Both the vaccines have been part of the country's COVID-19 vaccination programme from the beginning.
The government on Friday announced that the COVID-19 precaution dose will be available for everyone above 18 years of age from April 10 at private vaccination centres. All those who are above 18 years of age and have completed nine months after the administration of second dose would be eligible for precaution dose.
The ongoing free vaccination programme through government vaccination centres for first and second dose as well as precaution dose for healthcare workers, frontline workers and 60+ population would continue and would be accelerated, the government had said.
On Saturday, the Health Ministry said that private vaccination centres can charge up to a maximum of Rs 150 as service charge over and above the cost of vaccine for adminstering precaution dose.
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